The invention relates to dams, dikes and the like and particularly to collapsible structures which are filled at the site of ultimate use.
The prior art includes the widely used sandbags, which are customarily filled at a remote site and then moved to the location where it is necessary to constrain rising water to prevent flooding. Sandbag barriers have significant limitations in that a large number of people are required to place them in position to stop rising waters. In addition, the movement of sandbags for such use is often complicated by the rising waters with which they are intended to constrain. More specifically, the water may rise over highways and railroad tracks and, thus, prevent easy movement of sandbags to the required site. Still another problem associated with the use of sandbags is that there is a substantial amount of work involved in filling, storing and handling sandbags.
The prior art includes a variety of collapsible dikes, which typically are filled with water. Such structures are shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,834,167, 2,609,666, 3,355,851, 3,213,628 as well as in United Kingdom Pat. No. 2,044,828. Such structures have also not been wholly satisfactory. These structures have, for example, not always provided a sufficiently stable barrier to rising flood waters. A difficulty with many of the water filled dike constructions is that a leakage of water from the fluid impervious envelope, such as through an opening caused by a tear, will tend to render the entire structure ineffective.
An object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient method of protecting riverbanks from overflowing during flooding conditions.
Another object of the invention is to use an apparatus which can be easily transported to a perspective flood area.
It is still another object of the invention to provide apparatus that is so effective and so easy and fast to apply that there will be no hesitation in setting up a temporary sediment filled dike when the threat of flooding arises.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide apparatus which will be less vulnerable to the effects of tears and the like than existing water filled structures.